


another chance to do things right

by salvatorestjohn



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Apologies, Because they are a complicated pair who love to bring the angst, Bisexual Kyle Valenti, Coming Out, Confessions, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Episode Fix-it, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Enemies, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Light Angst, M/M, Reminiscing, Second Kiss, in the past only though, of sorts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-23
Updated: 2019-05-23
Packaged: 2020-03-10 03:21:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18930274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/salvatorestjohn/pseuds/salvatorestjohn
Summary: "First kisses," Kyle cuts in, the words slipping from his tongue so casually.Alex goes still. His stomach drops as he tries to recall if maybe he's talking about him and Liz. It's possible, maybe he just didn't know. But Kyle is watching him as if for a reaction, a glint in his eyes.It's almost as if he's expecting him to have forgotten.





	another chance to do things right

Summers in Roswell are always hotter than Alex thinks they're allowed to be. Still, he was never complaining that much when clear, bright blue skies and that shining sun means that he had an excuse to spend all day outside. 

His dad never seemed to notice the difference in weather, busy with work stuff anyway, so being inside was never that fun. Listening to conversations between him and his brother about the army, and what they're going to do next, and all the other details is something that Alex used to wish he could block out and ignore despite how much his dad wished he wouldn't. 

No, he prefers this. Sitting out in his back garden underneath the shade of the tall tree house. Before he and Kyle got the idea, they would just spend their time up in the tree itself instead, challenging each other to see how far they could climb. Sometimes Flint would join in when he could get away and spare a few minutes. It was guaranteed that one of them would twist an ankle, or fall from a slightly too-high branch.

He inhales, deep and slow through his nose, his eyes closing. A small smile pulls at the corners of his mouth at the memories, thinking back over them all. When things were just a little bit simpler, or at least seemed that way. 

Before everything went to hell. A part of him is mostly just happily surprised that his dad never tore it down, especially after...

He doesn't finish that thought, letting it sink back down with the rest. The past should stay that way; he decided that a long time ago, after his first deployment. It's easier that way, and a lot better for himself.

That doesn't stop him from picking through the good moments that he can still recall. There was even one time where it was him, Kyle, Maria, and Liz, before high school. 

Rosa and Flint were supposed to be the supervising "adults" but it was summer and they were far more invested in whatever gossip was circulating around at the time, and anything that didn't involve the kids they were supposed to be watching. 

They had even had a picnic, right where he's sitting. It was one of the best days of summer. And one of the last they got like that, but he still cherishes the thought of it, how close they all were.

He tilts his head back, exhaling deeply in more of a sigh. 

His eyes drift upwards, past the slightly-jutting edge of the wooden panels put together as the bottom of the treehouse. For a second, he almost thinks he catches a glimpse of bright blue and yellow, waving in the slight breeze that picks up, swirling through the leaves only to disappear as quickly as it came, leaving behind only the warmth of the uncovered sun shining through the gaps in the branches. 

A part of him — the eleven-year-old, nostalgic part of him that has persisted through all these years despite everything — is tempted to try and get a closer look. He's positive there's no way that he's right. But that temptation gets kicked right back out of the tree as a reminder sweeps through his mind like a bulldozer. 

He glances at his leg and sighs again, though it's lacking in the peaceful touch the last had. 

He lets the back of his head hit against the tree with a slight thump, the rough bark immediately digging into his scalp. It becomes considerably less noticeable within a few seconds. 

_Just a few more minutes,_ Alex thinks, _then I'll leave._ It was a spur of the moment decision to come back anyway, and he's sure he's already spent more time here than he should have. 

And he was definitely planning on making good on that, his crutch laying on the grass beside him, except movement catches the corner of his eye. He looks over, his eyebrows in the process of drawing together and his hand reaching out — for what, he has no idea, but his instincts have kicked into fight or flight without him really getting a chance to think.

"Funny running into you here, Manes."

Alex relaxes before his eyes have even locked onto the approaching figure. His hand rests back on the grass as Kyle grins at him, the teasing lilt to his voice slipping into his features as well. There's a familiarity to the sight, even if the Kyle he last saw that look on was much younger. 

For a second, things feel like they never changed. It quickly disappears, of course, but it was nice while it lasted.

"Well," he manages a smile with ease, then lets his eyes sweep over the garden, his hand moving with it, "this did use to be my garden. Though, considering recent events, I can understand the surprise."

Kyle chuckles in agreement as Alex tilts his head back in his direction, looking up at him as he stops beside him. His eyebrows lower slightly, watching him glance around as well. 

If he didn't know better, he'd think that he was having the same nostalgic thoughts as he had been just moments ago.

"I'm more curious as to how you found me here," Alex adds, and the bubble of contentment and happiness that had been surrounding him bursts just like that. "And why? What's going on?"

Kyle's eyes widen the tiniest bit, caught off-guard for a split second as he's brought out of whatever was going through his mind as he turns them on him. Then they're returning to normal and he's chuckling; it barely sounds any different from the one he remembers. Light and soft, now dipping a little lower than it used to.

"Can't I just be here to have a normal, non-extraterrestrial-related conversation with you?" he asks as he finally crouches and takes a seat beside him on the grass.

Alex raises an eyebrow at him. Kyle rolls his eyes. His lips settle into a smile as he rests his arms on top of his knees.

"Nothing's wrong," he assures him, and Alex believes him. Partially. It's weirdly instinctual if he's honest. Through the years, a part of him has always wanted to believe Kyle on almost everything. Wanted to be able to cling to that trust he instilled in him. 

Then Kyle hesitates visibly, his smile slipping at the corners as his eyes dart away from him. They focus on his hands instead and Alex's head tilts, the worry quickly returning. He believes that it isn't anything to do with what they've recently discovered, but that doesn't mean he believes there's not a problem.

"Well," Kyle starts, "I did... have an encounter earlier. With your dad."

Alex's eyebrows shoot up, his eyes going wide. "My dad? What happened?"

Kyle hesitates again, his lips parting as if he's going to try and wave off the details. He must decide better of it though, because he sighs, rolling his head. Alex expects him to speak and explain the encounter in as much detail as he can recall — he knows he has a weirdly great memory, so he's expecting pretty much a full play-by-play — but he doesn't. 

He reaches up and undoes the first button on his shirt, much to Alex's surprise and confusion. His eyes focus on his hands, watching them slip the button through the fabric on the other side.

"Uh, what are you...?" he starts, but doesn't get any further than that as Kyle proceeds to tug at the collar of his shirt. 

He pulls it down at the side and winces. Alex tenses, realizing why. 

Contrasting against his skin is a blotch of dark purple and blue. It seems have been trying to spread across his chest, but only got so far, leaving a considerably medium-sized mark that's all too familiar to Alex by now. 

"He tried to _shoot you_?" he breathes out in disbelief, the hint of the fast-forming anger slipping through as he lifts his eyes back up to his.

Kyle attempts a shrug that comes off as more of a roll of his shoulder. He releases his hold on his shirt, his eyes on his hands now as he readjusts it. 

"Yeah, I guess he still doesn't like me all that much," he says, his tone surprisingly light and joking despite the subject. He looks back up at him and must notice that Alex isn't even smiling, only staring at him in worry. "I was in the bunker. My back was to him, then he said something to me, so I stood up, turned around and was... freaking out, honestly. I didn't know he was going to be there. I barely got a chance to say anything before he shot me. It's a good thing my paranoia forced me into wearing a bulletproof vest today of all days."

Alex has to swallow down the deep, burning anger and hatred that rises up in his throat like bile as it always does when he gets a reminder of just who exactly his father is. It shouldn't surprise him anymore, and yet, every time, it hits him like a truck. 

Pushing it away as best he can, he blinks and pulls himself back, focusing on the important parts. 

"What happened after he shot you?" he asks, his eyes flicking back down to where he now knows the bruise is. An image of a bullet lodged deep into his chest flickers across his mind, replacing the bruise with a hole, blood pooling from the wound. 

He could have died. His dad could have killed Kyle. 

"Uh," Kyle almost looks reluctant to answer now, and Alex doesn't miss the flash of guilt on his face as he avoids his eyes, "well, he thought he had shot me. I got back up when his back was turned to me and I took his gun. Don't worry, I didn't shoot him if that's what you're thinking."

Alex blinks in surprise. "I... wasn't."

Kyle glances at him, something crossing his face. Doubt, regret. He can't pinpoint it exactly other than that it's dark and in a place that Alex has never seen him before but gets a feeling of understanding from.

Shaking it off, maybe a little too sharply, Kyle quickly continues. "I didn't shoot him but I did inject him with a temporary paralytic. None of his vital organs shut down before I got him in good hands with one of my coworkers. He'll wake up in a few hours, so I may need to start wearing bulletproof everything."

"Wait, so," Alex can't help his eyebrows furrowing, "my dad tries to kill you, after you find out that he was the reason your dad died, and you... basically put him into a very short coma before taking him to the hospital to make sure _he_ didn't die?"

"Yeah," Kyle breathes out, drawing on the word as his lips twitch at the corners. A humourless ghost of a smile. "I'm an idiot, I know."

Alex shakes his head. "No, you're not. You're... you."

Kyle's eyes flick up to him again. They linger this time.

"You've never been able to hurt someone intentionally," Alex explains. "Not that I would blame you if you had shot him considering he had just tried to kill you, but..." he shakes his head again, "that's never been who you are."

The words seem to hang between them, getting swirled in with the summer heat blanketing them. The little voice that managed to separate itself from the rest of him tries to get him to look away, break the gaze, but he can't bring himself to try. 

Kyle nods slowly. "I'm surprised you didn't say because of doctor's oath, but... yeah, I guess you're right."

It's obvious by the tone of his voice that he's glad he didn't. Alex acknowledges that, subconsciously, it means what Kyle is thinking. That he knows he would never have tried to hurt anyone on purpose, even before he became a doctor. 

He's sure there's some unspoken understanding in there somewhere, but looking at him, they seem to agree that leaving it that way, at least for right now, is what's best. Things are different now.

"So, uh," he starts, shaking his head slightly as he quickly draws his thoughts away from the edge of the cliff they were threatening to stray over, "that's why you're here? So that we can figure out what to do next. I mean, obviously my dad being back in town changes things, I guess. We definitely can't let him anywhere near the bunker once he's out of the hospital."

Kyle nods again, in agreement this time. Alex almost thinks he spots something dull in his eyes at the subject sticking. 

"Yeah," he says on a breath in. "Yeah, we'll definitely have to keep an eye on him. We've already got enough to worry about with what went down at Caulfield. Speaking of... have you talked to Guerin since?"

If Alex didn't know any better, he'd say that Kyle was almost hesitant to ask that question. Not that he's so eager to answer it. If anything, he's really understanding Kyle's want to change the subject. He was much happier reminiscing. 

"Uh, yeah," he answers anyway, because Kyle's watching him expectantly. His eyebrows draw together and he corrects himself. "Sort of. Not really, I guess. I tried to, but... he has a lot going on, I guess I just have to be patient with him. It's the least he deserves."

"Hey, don't blame yourself for anything that we've found, alright?" Kyle quickly jumps in, shaking his head at him. The look on his face when Alex glances up at him is familiar. "Your dad did all of this. Not you. You are not responsible for the mistakes he's made or the messes he's created." 

Alex manages at least a flicker of a smile at that, hoping it conveys his gratitude. It may not assuage the guilt that's still clinging desperately to his chest and around his heart, but it certainly doesn't hurt to hear Kyle say it. Or to hear him sounding so much like the best friend he remembers.

Kyle visibly hesitates just a split second before Alex glances down at his hand, the grass underneath him. 

Then he adds, "I'm sure Guerin knows that as well. He... seems to care about you."

"He does," Alex agrees quietly as something twists inside of him. He leans his head back against the tree once more, welcoming the slight scratch of the bark now. "Just... differently, I guess. Everything's different now."

"Give it some time," Kyle says with a shrug of his shoulder. "Once this all blows over, the universe will right itself and everything will be back to normal. Although, where human-alien relationships fall under the definition of normal, I'm not entirely sure."

The slightly exaggerated and teasing tone of his voice draws a light chuckle out of Alex, the sound more of an amused scoff. 

Still, it successfully forces him to shifts his thoughts, at least for now, and allow himself to settle back into even the tiniest bit of the happiness he was feeling before as Kyle grins.

A comfortable silence falls over them, sitting there together in their favourite childhood spot. Alex lets his eyes focus on the light blue sky, not a single wisp of white breaking it for miles. It's the most at ease he's really felt since he got back, just watching the world and letting the familiarity sink into his skin rather than try and push it away.

He's only pulled away from the memories slowly creeping back up on him when he feels Kyle shift next to him, his shoulder bumping against his. It's not intentional, he realizes, when he looks at him from the corner of his eyes to find him staring up. 

He discreetly turns his head, watching his eyes move around them. They dart from what he can see of the treehouse, to his right, back up, his head moving with them. His lips are barely parted in a smile and Alex is positive now that he's being hit with that same wave of nostalgia. 

It's obvious by the fond, almost amazed disbelief that's settled into his features, giving him away before he even knows it. It's the tinge of sadness that has him hesitating.

"What are you thinking about?" he asks before he can stop himself. 

Kyle's eyes widen a little out of surprise, moving to him. Then his smile grows and he ducks his head, a soft chuckle escaping past his lips. 

"I was just..." he shakes his head slowly, lifting it back up, his eyes drifting back up to the treehouse, "thinking about this place. I loved being here. Climbing this thing with you ― and Liz. It always turned into a competition somehow."

"Yeah, Liz was always scarily competitive about tree climbing," Alex agrees, his mouth curving up as Kyle laughs lightly again. "I think she mostly grew out of it when you twisted your ankle falling out of it."

"Oh god," Kyle groans, his eyes squeezing shut. "You were both laughing your asses off at me until you realized I couldn't stand back up. Flint and Rosa didn't even notice un—"

"Until Liz started panicking and tried to pull me down so we could get to you faster," Alex finishes, recalling that day vividly as Kyle nods in agreement. "We nearly fell on top of you because my foot slipped on that branch and she was still holding onto me. Never again did she dare us to see who could reach the top the fastest."

Kyle grimaces, but his smile is lighting up his face, not wavering for even a second. 

"Probably for the best."

"Yeah, there were a lot of good memories here," Alex agrees with a soft smile of his own, glancing up again. "Tree climbing. Snowball fight forts. Trying to make a hammock only to realize we had no idea how."

"Hiding from your brothers, my dad, and Rosa when none of us wanted to leave," Kyle adds, now rolling his head fully towards him, looking at him as they rattle off their past adventures. 

"Carving our names into one of the walls and on the back of this tree," Alex continues, and he's tempted to go around and make sure they're still there. He knows they are. "Sleepovers, surprisingly. I'm not sure how we were allowed to swing that one. Halloweens and telling ghost stories to see who would get scared first. Pretend picnics, and—"

"First kisses," Kyle cuts in, the words slipping from his tongue so casually.

Alex goes still. His stomach drops as he tries to recall if maybe he's talking about him and Liz. It's possible, maybe he just didn't know. But Kyle is watching him as if for a reaction, a glint in his eyes.

It's almost as if he's expecting him to have forgotten. 

"We were eleven, right?" Kyle continues and Alex's heart skips a beat, jumping to right itself. 

He catches the twitch at the corners of his mouth that turns into a full-blown grin, huffing out a light laugh as he shakes his head at the sky. 

"Weirdly enough, I'm pretty sure it was summer then as well. And if I remember correctly—" he glances down, his fingers spreading across the grass, "―this is the exact spot where you kissed me."

Alex's throat is way too dry. It was years ago, in the past, just like everything else. But hearing Kyle talk about it so easily, almost happily, is shaking something inside of him. It was easier to brush off him talking about how he had treated him in high school, but this feels different. 

It had been a spur of the moment thing, he wasn't thinking. They'd been joking around, laughing at some stupid thing that Kyle had said. He's not even sure now that he knew what he had said. All that mattered was that Kyle was laughing, and he loved when Kyle laughed. 

That's why when he had pressed into his side from nearly doubling over at his own laughter and asked what he was thinking about, Alex had just acted. He had acted on eleven-year-old instincts that apparently suck, and kissed him. 

"Yeah," he says, taking a deep breath, nodding. "It is. Right before we started high school."

Kyle's smile slips. It's obvious he hadn't been focusing on the part where he had practically flown away from him, wide-eyed and confused and filled with childish anger that made no sense to Alex at the time.

He had asked him why he did it, then when Alex could barely string together a coherent sentence, had gotten up and run off. The last time they had talked before their conversations became nothing more than insults and not-so-subtle jabs.

That part seems to come back to Kyle as he casts his eyes down, away from Alex. 

"I know you said not to apologize for the past since there's nothing I can do about it, but..."

He shakes his head slowly as Alex tries to push down the feeling that claws its way up through his stomach. 

The guilt slips through into his voice, a deep sadness taking over his face, more so than it had the first time they talked like this back in the cabin.

"I shouldn't have run away like that," he finishes. "I just freaked out on you and left. It wasn't right."

"You were eleven," Alex reminds him, trying to tell himself that there isn't even a tiny bit of hurt lingering. "I'm pretty sure every eleven-year-old freaks out at being kissed. Especially by their best friend. Don't blame yourself too much."

"Yeah, but I should have at least explained why," Kyle protests, lifting his head back up to look him in the eyes. "You didn't deserve to think that you had done something wrong."

Alex gives a half roll of his eyes. "You didn't need to explain, I got it. It was pretty obvious why you freaked out when you stopped talking to me. But we moved past that, remember?"

Kyle hesitates. He shakes his head again, pressing his lips together. His eyes fall back down to his hands, now laying idly in his lap.

"That was just an excuse," he admits, his voice quiet and the regret slipping through the open gap.

Alex turns his head to fully look at him, his eyes drawing together. 

"It was easier to pretend that I was freaked out by you liking guys. It meant I didn't have to face the fact that I was more scared by how much I wanted to kiss you back."

Alex blinks. Any possible response got knocked right out of him as if like a punch to the chest, winding him. His lips part all the same, but to say what, he doesn't even know. 

He wouldn't even know where to start, his mind a tangled mess and completely blank at the same time.

Kyle lifts his eyes, looking up at him through lashes with a worried edge to his features. He doesn't say anything else, doesn't prompt Alex for a response. He just looks at him, waiting silently for it to fully sink in. 

It does. After a missed beat, Alex slowly draws his eyebrows together, the realization dawning on him. It's like something slides into place, making absolute, perfect sense. 

Compared to all of the revelations he's had to deal with in the last few days, this somehow feels like a relief rather than something that spins his world on its head and has him questioning everything. 

That doesn't stop his world from spinning on its head or questioning everything in his life from that moment, and even some before.

"Wait," he says slowly, despite Kyle not making any move to leave. This time, he isn't running away, and he's making that clear. "Does that mean you're...?"

"Bi?" Kyle finishes for him, and a ghost of a smile flickers across his lips as he does. He nods slowly and raises a shoulder in a shrug. "Yeah, I am. Suppose that makes me a bit of hypocrite, looking back on everything now."

Alex pauses, and _of course, that makes sense._ His eyes close briefly as he shakes his head to himself ever so slightly.

"I can't believe it never even crossed my mind," he says. "You were a total textbook asshole repressing his own feelings. It should have been so obvious."

"I guess I was just really good at not acknowledging things that terrify the hell out of me," Kyle says, a light note to his voice in an almost nervous laugh. It fades though, left with just that nervousness and regret. "There was no way you could have figured it out. I didn't even want to believe it at the time."

Alex nods slowly, breathing out. He tips his head back, leaning it against the tree once more as he thinks it all over, taking it in fully. So much of high school makes more sense now than it had back then. 

"Well, at least we know you aren't just an asshole at heart," Alex half-jokes, glancing over at him.

"No, I don't want you to do that," Kyle quickly says. "I was horrible to you. It doesn't matter if I was only doing it because I was scared, I shouldn't have put that on you like I did. I don't want you defending how I was in high school just because of that."

Something tugs in Alex's chest, familiar and warm. It brings a twitch to the corners of his mouth that he tries not to let it show. Swallowing it down, he feigns a scoff.

"Oh, trust me, I'm not," he says, raising his eyebrows at him possibly a little exaggeratedly. "What, you think I'm gonna let you off the hook for being a total jackass just because there was a second where you wanted to kiss me and you realized how not-straight you are? No way."

Kyle obviously caught on as soon as he scoffed, his mouth having slowly curved up further with each word. Alex will admit, the anger faded some time ago, lingering only in the smallest form of hurt at this point. It's a little easier to think about, now that a lot of his confusion back then had been cleared up with one confession.

"Good," Kyle says, holding his gaze, nodding slowly. "I wouldn't want you forgiving me just because I didn't know how to handle my own feelings better. Really wishing I had figured out that there was another way before we got out of high school though."

"Yeah, high school could have actually been fun," Alex says, smiling at him now. 

Kyle tilts his head, making a face. "I don't know about that."

Alex laughs, and Kyle joins in. It's a surprise to realize he still likes the sound. Not an unpleasant one. It has that little tug of warmth in his chest growing.

It's only once their laughter has faded into a quiet that feels familiar, comfortable, that a part of this whole big confession kicks its way through the initial surprise. 

"Wait," he says again, confused this time as his eyebrows furrow once more and he meets Kyle's questioning gaze, "you wanted to kiss me back?"

Kyle's eyebrows raise a little on his forehead and he breathes out another light laugh. "That one took a while to sink in."

"Did you... have feelings for me?" Alex asks carefully, keeping his eyes on him for his reaction. 

Kyle keeps his head ducked, sucking in a breath. That alone has Alex's heart forgetting a beat or two, forcing itself to quickly try and make it up for it. 

Then Kyle is nodding slowly, and Alex's eyes widen as he looks back up to meet them. 

"Yeah," he says softly, the one word tinged with an edge of nervousness and worry. "I didn't really figure it out until you kissed me, I guess. Everything just sort of made sense, and I... didn't know how to deal with liking you."

"Yeah, clearly," Alex says slowly, adding it to the rest of things he's trying to wrap his head around. He shakes it slightly as if in the hopes of clearing it a little. 

Kyle ducks his head again, but it's brief this time, lifting back up as his eyebrows draw together. 

"Out of curiosity..." he falters, obviously trying to choose his words, "...why did you kiss me back then? I mean, I never really stuck around long enough for you to tell me."

Alex's stomach drops. He forces the feeling down — or in this case, back up — as his lips part. Somehow, even with how in-depth the conversation has been getting, he wasn't expecting him to ask that. A part of him had assumed that maybe he would have guessed all on his own.

If he has, he seems to need to hear Alex say it himself. 

"Uh, well..." His tongue darts out across his lip, his teeth catching it for a second as he glances down. "I guess it had something to do with the fact that I had feelings for you. I got totally caught up in the moment, and you were right there, and the next thing I knew... I had kissed you."

"You liked me?" Kyle asks, his eyebrows raising. There's something about the way he says it; full of soft surprise, sounding happy about it as the corners of his lips twitch. Maybe it was a trick of the light.

Alex breathes out a laugh, nodding. "Yeah, I thought that was pretty obvious at the time."

"I guess I never really thought about it like that," Kyle admits, and Alex is positive he's nearly smiling. 

"Maybe if you had noticed I was pretty much head-over-heels for you before, you might have kissed me back," Alex says, slightly teasing with a smile of his own. There's a twist in his stomach though.

Kyle's expression falters and his smile drops just enough. There's a flicker in his eyes as he looks at him.

"I wish I had."

The air Alex had been in the process of breathing in gets stuck somewhere in his throat. His eyes widen in surprise, the sincerity to the words catching him off-guard. 

Kyle just holds his gaze, and he can tell he's not waiting for a response. The point was for him to hear him say it, hear the sad regret that settles on top of the words plain as day as they hang between them. 

Whether putting the pieces together on his own was a part of it as well, Alex isn't sure.

But he does, and he's all too aware of his heartbeat. Some little part of the back of his mind thinks there has to be a doctor joke in there somewhere, but it's hard to focus on it. What if he's wrong? That's a possibility, he tells himself, because feelings don't last this long. 

But they do. At least in his own personal case, they definitely do.

The realization must show on his face because Kyle's mouth curves back up into that smile before he ducks his head, finally looking away from him in favour of the ground, then the sky. Tiny little gestures of confirmation.

Alex can only watch him, his lips parting as he tries to get his mind to wrap around this as well. He breathes out, feeling the twitch at the corners of his own lips. 

Kyle's eyes shift back to him, lingering. His smile grows at Alex not even bothering to act like he's been caught. 

His decision already made, Alex plays innocent. He nudges his shoulder gently with his own, and it feels so much like pressing into his side, an echo of their laughter fading away into bright smiles and gleaming eyes filled with pure joy.

"What are you thinking about?" he asks, letting the words sound almost teasing. 

Kyle picks up on it; his eyebrows raise and Alex hasn't seen him smile like this in so long. That warm tugging in his chest spreads like it's pulling him closer, trying to guide him.

Inhaling, Kyle gives a slight shake of his head. "Just... how much I really want a redo for that kiss."

Alex's stomach swoops and his heart is beating insistently against his ribs. 

"Then what's stopping you?"

Kyle hesitates. Alex's head tilts in confusion, watching him give another little shake of his head, uncertain this time.

"You and Guerin..." he starts off cautiously, his words faltering. "There's a lot going on right now between you, and I get that. I just don't want to do anything that's gonna mess things up, or — you know, if it's actually too soon and you realize..."

"That I still love him," Alex finishes for him.

Kyle holds his gaze, something flickering in his eyes once more. He nods slowly, and Alex understands. It makes sense that it's a worry he has. Taking a moment to think it over only confirms Alex's thoughts.

"Honestly, a part of me will probably always care about him," he admits, and Kyle nods again, completely understanding. He then adds, "but we're moving on. I get it if you think it's too soon, but if you want me to be honest, I don't. I'm not sure my feelings for you ever really went away. And I really want to see how that redo turns out."

Kyle's smiling at him like before; not just before he hesitated, but before high school, when they were kids, and apparently both had too many complicated feelings for each other to express. His eyes are crinkling at the edges, and it must be contagious because Alex can feel himself smiling right back. 

"That's more than enough for me," Kyle says, a quiver of that happiness striking his voice like a string on a harp.

Alex's smile widens. This time, he isn't the one leaning forward. Instead, his eyes are darting from Kyle's eyes to his lips, watching him with almost smug satisfaction as the swoop in his stomach grows. It's Kyle who leans in until the gap between them ceases to exist and Alex's eyes flutter closed at the last second. 

It's barely a brush, really, as Kyle presses his lips against his gently. It's all Alex can do not to smile as he leans into it just enough, kissing back. Any hesitation that may have been lingering slips away. 

Kyle's hand comes up, his fingers spreading gently over the side of Alex's neck. He kisses him fully now, deeper, his movement still slow but sincere. 

Alex is already melting into it as he kisses him back again, his mind trying to take in the feeling of Kyle's lips against his, and his thumb pressing into the underside of his jaw, and his heart thudding away in his chest like it had when he was eleven. 

It's so much better this time around though for the simple fact that Kyle isn't pulling away. If anything, he's pressing closer, his head dipping to the side just enough. 

It's fitting, he thinks, that their first real kiss would be in the exact spot where the last one that had ruined their friendship took place. A redo. 

Alex almost begins to panic when he feels Kyle pulling back. His eyes open, staring at him questioningly. Kyle's widen the tiniest bit as he glances down, digging his hand into his pocket and pulling his phone out a second later.

"I am so sorry," he says to him, shaking his head, and Alex can see now that his phone is clearly buzzing. 

The relief settles in his chest and he smiles. He gives a slight shake of his own head and gestures for him to go ahead. 

Kyle quickly swipes his screen, holding the phone up to his ear. Alex just leans his head back against the tree once more, his eyes staying on him as he listens to the person on the other end. 

He's guessing by the way that his face falls that it's not a call to tell him he's got an extra shift off work.

"Alright, yeah," Kyle says into the phone, nodding along. "Got it. Thanks, Luce. We'll be there soon."

He hangs up as Alex raises his eyebrows, lifting his head back up. Kyle slips the phone back into his jeans with a quiet sigh, looking up at him. 

"That was my coworker," he explains. "The one I trusted to look after your dad while he was in his temporary coma."

"Let me guess," Alex sighs now as well, "he's awake?"

Kyle nods. "She doesn't think she can keep him from leaving for much longer. Another twenty minutes and the drugs will have completely worn off."

"I guess we should hurry then," Alex says, much to his own reluctance. "Figure out what we're gonna do on the way there?"

"Sounds good."

They both start to get to their feet, Alex grabbing his crutch to push himself up. He pretends not to notice that Kyle reaches out, a hand brushing over his back, the other under underneath his arm. It still brings a smile to his face though and he ducks his head as he adjusts the crutch and Kyle leaves his hands hovering for another second or two, just to be sure.

Kyle pauses, his eyebrows drawing together. He points his thumb over his shoulder, up towards the treehouse.

"Just out of curiosity, was it my imagination or are those friendship bracelets that Liz made the both of us wear still tied up there?" he asks.

Alex laughs lightly, nodding as his eyes dart to the exact spot he caught that glimpse of blue and yellow. "Yeah, they are."

"Okay, so we're totally coming back for them and forcing Liz to wear them for at least a week," Kyle decides as they start walking away from the treehouse, heading for the exit out of the garden. "Justified revenge."

"You're doing that on your own then," Alex says with a grin and glances down at his crutch pointedly.

"Oh, no way. You're not getting out of this. I'll lift you on my shoulders if I have to."

Alex laughs again, Kyle joining in this time. The whole thing is so familiar in a way he thought he would never get back. The way that Kyle nudges his shoulder gently and that look in his eyes feels like completely new territory, but he's more than happy to explore it with time. Maybe Kyle was right about things righting themselves after all.

 


End file.
